Apple Researching Hydrogen Fuel Cell Battery

According to new patent filings, Apple is researching hydrogen fuel cell technology that could be used on smartphones and other portable devices.

The company submitted documents to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that said its proposal “eliminates the need for a bulky and heavy battery.”

A hydrogen fuel cell converts hydrogen and oxygen into water and electrical energy.

“Our country’s continuing reliance on fossil fuels has forced our government to maintain complicated political and military relationships with unstable governments in the Middle East, and has also exposed our coastlines and our citizens to the associated hazards of offshore drilling,” Apple says in its patent filings.

“These problems have led to an increasing awareness and desire on the part of consumers to promote and use renewable energy sources.”

Apple said that hydrogen fuel cells could be smaller and lighter than batteries currently being used by devices, as well as offer a longer lasting alternative.

“Such fuel cells and associated fuels can potentially achieve high volumetric and gravimetric energy densities, which can potentially enable continued operation of portable electronic devices for days or even weeks without refueling,” Apple said.

Apple filed another patent in October that showed detailed ways of squeezing more power from lighter hydrogen fuel cells.